Is Samsung Quietly Backing Away From Android?

Google's $12.5 billion buyout of Motorola Mobility has at least 1 of its companions nervous. Studies surfaced this week that Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee convened a meeting of top rated executives to discuss the effects of the merger on the company's business.

Samsung could be the second largest smartphone maker on this planet as of the 2nd quarter of this 12 months, trailing only Apple. It's got leaned heavily upon Android for its lineup of intelligent units, so any adjust in that relationship could pose substantial pitfalls to its business.

Lee realizes this, and that is why he urged those in attendance -- which involved wireless chief Shin Jong-kyun -- to diversify the company's portfolio of wireless gadgets, and continue to function on its proprietary smartphone platform dubbed "Bada," The foremost South Korean day-to-day Dong-a Ilbo reviews.

It's actually not distinct whether Lee could be looking to other platforms like Windows Mobile phone, which some sector authorities argue could happen between Android companions leery about Google favoring the hardware vendor that it owns. Specifics of what really was mentioned weren't incorporated inside the report.

Does Samsung have a very selection whether or not it would like to adapt? At the very least one group of analysts say no. "We feel that the changing dynamics in the smartphone market is forcing Samsung to build and innovate on its own functioning system named Bada," economic analyst firm Trefis wrote on Thursday in a very study be aware.

This kind of alterations could result in a lot less Android devices hitting the marketplace in the wake of this deal, particularly if Samsung's placement is echoed among the many common cellular working system's other partners. That could in turn influence Android's market place share.

Concentrating on Bada may not be the answer, however. It seems as if the trend in the market is always to transfer from in-house proprietary platforms to a lot more open up designs -- look at Nokia's swap for the Windows Mobile phone platform. With all the struggles Nokia had in creating Symbian a world wide results, I can not see how Samsung could do any better.